Merchandise container and method of making a merchandise package therefrom



Feb. 17, 1959 Filed July 1, 1957 J. D. SYLVESTER ETAL 2,873,566 MERCHANDISE CONTAINER AND METHOD 0F MAKING A MERCHANDISE PACKAGE THEREFROM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVEN TORS (Jo/1w 0. 531 was BY b/w 5 Measure Feb. 17, 1959 J. D. SYLVESTER ETAL 2,873,565l

MERCHANDISE CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING A MERCHANDISE PACKAGE THEREFROM Filed July 1, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 1959 J. D. SYLVESTER ET'AL 2,873,566

MERCHANDISE CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING A MERCHANDISE PACKAGE THEREFROM Filed July 1, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS I vJomv D. 671. vasrm United States MERCHANDISE CONTAINER AND METHOD. OF

A MERCHANDISE PACKAGE THERE- John D. Sylvester, Garden City, and Edwin E. Messmer, Roslyn Heights, N. Y., assignors to Amsco Packaging Machinery, Inc., Long Island 'City, N. Y., a corporatron of New York Application July 1, 1957, Serial N0. 669,253

3 Claims. (Cl. 53- 29) purchaser remove the merchandise from the container for purposes of inspection, bag-like enclosures have been employed in whi'chthe bag opening is protectively enclosed within a turned-back flap. Commodities such as gloves, socks shirts, and the like, have been merchandised 1n this way, the enclosure being composed of a material such as polyethylene. The package eifectively shields the article or articles inside from casual contact, yet it is possible to have access tothe interior of the container through the passage beneath the turned-back flap.

atent' sons it is customary and desirable to have the prospective t Containers of this type have numerous disadvantages,

and it is the general object of the present invention to overcome them. One of the shortcomings ofthe type of container referred to relates to the difficulty and relatively high cost of inserting the merchandise into the bag inthe first place. The turning back of the flap to expose the opening of the bag is a cumbersome and tlme-consuming procedure, and after the merchandise has been introducedinto the bag the flap must be restored to its operative state. In an attempt to solve part of this problem, it has been proposed to make the bag with the flap turned rearward, but even in this case it is necessary to manipulate the flapand turn it inside out in order to produce the desired merchandise package, after introduction of the merchandise into the bag.

The present invention obviates these difiiculties, and afiords numerous additional advantages, by the employment of a merchandise container of special and unique design. Briefly stated, the improved contaiher is a tubular body open at both ends, witha turned-back flap of the desired character atone end, and with the opposite end open and adapted to serve as a filling opening through which the merchandise may be initially inserted into the container. Thus, by obviating the necessity for any manipulations of the flap in order to insert the commodity or other articleof merchandise into the container, important economies can beachieved. Moreover, the container is structurally so organized of two separate sheetsof container, material that its manufacture .is low in cost, ,relatively simple, and readily adaptable to multiple manufacturing procedures one continuous and semi-automatic scale. j

. In achieving the foregoing objects. and advantages,and such other benefits as may. hereinafter appear or .be

pointed out, the invention involves the features of'novelty illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1-6 are diagrammatic perspective views showin successive stages of the preferred method of making containers in accordance with this invention;

Figure 7 is an exploded view showing how merchandise may be introduced into the container;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view substantially along the line 8--8 of Figure 7;

Figures 9 and 10 are views corresponding to Figures 7 and 8, with the merchandise fully inserted into the container;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, showing the final step in making the desired merchandise package;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the finished merchandise package;

Figures 13-16 are diagrammatic perspective views showing four alternative modified procedures by which containers of the improved character may be made; and

Figure 17 is a similar view illustrating the procedural stage directly following that of Figure 16.

Briefly stated, the manufacture of containers in accordance with the inventio-ninvolves the step of lon'g'i tudinally advancing a pair of separate continuous webs or plies of seamable container material arranged in superposed relation with at least one lateral margin of one of the webs doubled back around the adjacent lateral margin of the other. The webs are then seamed together, and also severed, along successive transverse lines at container-width intervals. In the preferred method, the two superposed webs originate in separate rolls or other supply of the continuous container material. Alternatively, as will be pointed out, the two superposed webs may be provided by starting with a single web of adequate width, folding it longitudinally along a medial line, then slitting it along said line or slitting one of the plies closely adjacent to this line.

The prefererd procedure is depicted in Figures l'-6. From a suitable supply of appropriate seamable container .rnaterial, such as polyethylene or the like, two separate continuous webs Ztiand, 21 are brought together in superposed relation andadvanced longitudinallv as indicated by the arrow in Figurel; The web '20. is narrower. than the web 21 and is positioned in such a way that the lateral margins of the wider web 21 project beyond the corresponding lateral edges of the narrower Web. Asthe superposed webs are longitudinally advanced (by any appropriate means) the margins of the Wider web are caused to encounter special guiding means (not shown) which double back the projecting margins as indicated in Figure 2, each .of the turned-back margins being designated by the reference numeral 22. It will be observed that each of these margins. overlies the adjacent marginal region of the narrower web 20, w During a continuance of the advancement of the superposed webs, each web is cut along-a medial longitudinal line. For this purpose the web 26 may be guided over a metal backing plate 23, while the web 21 is. guided beneath such plate, there being a fixed knife or cutter 24 positionedto produce a cut in the web 26, and another cutter or knife 25positioned to make a similar" longitudinalcut in the web 21.

Where the longitudinal cuts are in registry, both ,webs may be guided over the same face of a backing plate,

1 and'a single instrumentality would suffice. -l-lowever, i t

' Fig. 4 represents the succeeding step in the process, whereby the two halves of the web assembly are laterally separated as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4. It will be observed that there is an overhanging lip or margin 28 on the assembly of elements shown at the left of Fig. 4, this lip being part of the web 21; and that a similar overhanging lip or margin 29 is formed on the assembly at the right of Fig. 4, this lip forming part of the web 20.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the advancing web assemblies are now subjected to the action of a seaming means which have been diagrammatically represented as a pair of cooperating elements 30 extending transversely above and below the advancing webs. The elements 30 may be formed as electrodes if the web material is of a character that lends itself to seaming by a heat sealing operation. The webs are seamed together along successive transverse lines 31. They are also severed substantially along these lines as indicated in Fig. 6, in which, for purposes of illustration, there is depicted a shearing mechanism 32 for accomplishing this purpose. It is to be understood, however, that under certain circumstances the instrumentality that produces the seams 31 (Fig. 5) may serve at the same time to sever the webs along substantially the same lines.

As will be noted in Fig. 6, each seaming and severing operation produces two merchandise containers. These are designated by the reference numeral 33 in Fig. 6 and in succeeding figures. Each container is essentially a tubular body open at both ends, one of the ends being provided with a turned-back protective flap. In order that the features of this unique tubular merchandise container may be described in greater detail, attention is now directed to Figs. 7-12, in which the container 33 shown at the right of Fig. 6 is illustrated on an enlarged ,scale and in relation to the merchandise it is intended to enclose to form the ultimate merchandise package shown in Fig. 12.

The container comprises a pair of superposed sheets 34 and 35 having side edges 36 which are in registry, each pair of contiguous side edges being secured together by the seaming operation indicated in Fig. 5. It is apparent of course, by reference back to Fig. 6, that the container illustrated in Figs. 7-12 has a wall 34 which initially formed part of the web 21, and a wall 35 which initially formed part of the web 20. At the upper end of the tubular body, as viewed in Figs. 7-11, the walls 34 and 35 are disconnected and thus define a filling opening through which merchandise may be introduced into the container. This is indicated in Figs. 7 and 8. The elongation of the wall 35 at this end, as compared with the Wall 34, facilitates the separation of the walls during the filling procedure.

It is also apparent that the turning'back of the margin 22 of the web 21 has resulted in the presence of a turnedback flap 37 which is an integral elongation of the wall 34 at the end of the tube opposite to the filling opening. The flap 37 is coextensive in width with the sheet 34, and the seams which secure the side edges 36 together have also engaged the lateral edges of the flap 37 (indicated at 38) to hold the flap 37 in the overlying relationship to the adjacent end region of the wall 35.

It will be observed that the flap 37 is merely protective in nature, and does not seal the end of the tubular body.

I Access to the interior continues to be available through the passage beneath the flap 37.

After the merchandise has been introduced into the tubular container, as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10, the walls 34 and 35 are sealed together atthe filling end, as indicated by the sealing elements 40 diagrammatically represented in Fig. 11. Where the material of the container is susceptible to sealing under heat, the elements :4 may be formed as electrodes or equivalent heating "devices Simultaneously with or directly subsequent to the sealing operation referred to, the excess length of the wall 35 may be removed by severance, if desired. The merchandise package is then complete, and when turned right-side-up, as indicated in Figure 12, it is apparent that the merchandise is completely enclosed within a protective envelope or Wrap, yet access to it may be had through the end on which the flap 37 is formed. As has been stated, the flap 37 does notseal or permanently close the end of the container, but constitutes merely a protective turned-back area having tacked-down ends, hence access to the enclosed merchandise remains available.

It will be understood that the procedure may be carried out by creating the longitudinal cuts 26, 27 in registry and not in the offset relation shown, the only difference being that the end edges of the walls 34 and 35 would then be in alignment at the filling end of the tube.

It will be observed, also, that the turned-back flap 37 in the container shown in Figures 7-12, is formed as an integral extension of the shorter wall 34, whereas the container 33 formed at the left of Figure 6 (as well as all subsequent containers emanating from this point) has its corresponding fiap 37 formed on the longer wall 35. This is basically not material, since the walls of the tubular container are sealed together at the filling end afterthe merchandise has been inserted, and it makes no difference whether the excess length is at that time .on one wall or the other. However, it has been found in practice that greater efiiciency in filling the containers can be achieved if all the containers are identical.

attain this result, either of the alternative procedures shown in Figures 13 and 14 may be resorted to.

In Figure 13 the webs 41 and 42 correspond to those designated 20 and 21 in Figure 3. The web 42 is wider than the web 41, and its marginal regions have been doubled back, as shown at 43, around the adjacent lateral edges of the web 41. During the advancement of this .web assembly toward the sealing and transverse cutting stations indicated in Figures 5 and 6, the web 41 is cut longitudinally along a pair of parallel medially locatedthe cut in the web 42. As the web assembly is advanced beyond this cutting station the medial strip 50 between the cuts 44, 45 is removed, and the two halves of the web assembly are laterally separated as previously described in connection with Figure 4. In this separated state the elements undergo the sealing and severance operations indicated in Figures 5 and 6. The result is that all containers produced, whether at the left or right of Figure 6,'have the turned-back flap on the side of the shorter container wall, as in the case of the left-hand container 33 of Figure 6. Of course if the cutters of Figure 13 were arranged to form the two parallel cuts in the web 42 and the single cut in the web 41 the resultant containers would all be like the container 33 shown at the right in Figure 6.

The same objective can be attained by employing webs 51 and 52, as shown in Figure 14, wherein the lateral margin 53 of the web 52 is doubled back around the adjacent edge of the, web 51 while the opposite lateral margin 54of the web 51 is doubled back around the adjacentedge of the web 52., This folding procedure may take .place during the longitudinal advancement, by any appropriate folding expedient known per se and therefore not shown. Asthe web assembly advances, cutters 55 and '56, operating on the webs 51 and 52 respectively, form theoftset longitudinal cuts 57 and 58. Thereupon the two halves of the web assembly are laterally separated and subjected to transverseseams and severance at containerwidth intervals, as described in connection with Figures 4,

f5 5 and 6; By utilizing webs of equal width at theout set,

and centering the cutters 55, 56, the containers ultimately produced will be uniform in structural character.

In Figures 15 and 16 an alternative procedure is shown in which the two superposed webs are produced by folding and cutting an initially single web of adequate width. The folding means has not been shown, since it may be of any known kind. The advancing web 59 (Figure 15) is folded along a medially-located longitudinal line 60, to bring the lateral edges into non-registering proximity so that one margin projects beyond the other. Then the projecting margin 61 of the lower ply is doubled back around the margin of the upper ply. A cutter 62 then slits the web along the line 60, and the resultant assembly of separate superposed plies is thereupon subjected to the sealing and severance indicated in Figures 5 and 6. The result is a series of open-ended tubular containers of the desired kind. Of course the severing of the webs in this case, as in the case of Figures 1617, produces only onecontainer between each pair of lateral cuts, as distinguished from the double output resulting in Figure 6.

The procedure depicted in Figures 16 and 17 is essentially the same as that of Figure 15, except that the upper ply 63 is slit by the cutter 64 along a line adjacent and parallel to the longitudinal fold 65 but spaced therefrom. As a result, after the webs continue their advance the folded lower ply 66 is realigned into a single plane (Figure 17). Consequently the containers formed by the subsequent sealing and severance steps have each an elongated wall at the filling end. t

Figure 18 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view corresponding to the lower part of Figure 8, showing a modified container that may be made in accordance with the invention. The container in this case has an expansible end 67. The protective flap 68 is formed, as herein described, as an extension of the wall 69, and part of the extension is doubled inward to form a pleat or gusset 70. In the manufacturing procedure this gusset is formed by making the projecting web margin (e. g., the margin 22 of Figure 2), of adequate width and making the necessary folds in it during the course of folding it over the adj acent margin of the other web. During the sealing operation the ends of the protective flap and the ends of the interior pleat or gusset are tacked down, but a desirable expansibility is imparted to the bag, and access to the contents remains available, as hereinbefore described, through the passage beneath the protective flap.

The invention thus makes it relatively simple and economically advantageous to produce tubular containers of the character indicated at 33 and in Figure 18, and to complete the procedure of enclosing merchandise items and sealing the containers to produce merchandise packages of the kind shown in Figure 12. These packages are produced without the necessity for any cumbersome or time-consuming manipulations of the protective flap 37 (or 68 of Figure 18) which remains at all times in its original positional relation to the container during the filling procedure and the subsequent final sealing procedure of Figure 11.

In general it will be understood that the details herein described and illustrated may be modified in various respects by those skilled in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention and illustrated its use, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A merchandise container comprising a pair of superposed sheets composed of pieces of seamable container material each sheet having a pair of side edges in registry with the corresponding side edges of the other, seams securing the contiguous side edges together to form a tubular body open at both ends, one tube end defining a filling opening through which merchandise can be introduced into said body, one of said sheets having at the opposite tube end an integral elongation coextensive in width with said sheet and doubled back over the adjacent end of the other sheet to define a protective flap for that end of the tubular body, the lateral edges of said flap being engaged by said seams to secure said flap edges to the corresponding side edges of the tubular body, whereby the interior of the body remains accessible through the passage beneath said flap after the filling opening at the opposite end has been closed.

2. A merchandise container as set forth in claim 1, one of said sheets being longer than the other at said filling opening to facilitate the separation of the sheets during the introduction of merchandise.

3. A method'of making a merchandise package of the character described, which consists in first making a merchandise container in the form of a tubular body open at both ends and provided at one of said ends with a turned-back protective flap; said tubular body being made by arranging a pair of sheets of seamable container material in superposed relation with the side edges of one sheet in registry with the corresponding side edges of the other, providing a flap-defining elongation on one of said sheets at one end thereof and turning it back to overlie the adjacent end of the other sheet, and seaming together the contiguous side edges of said sheets and causing said seams also to engage the lateral edges of said turned-back flap; then introducing merchandise into said tubular body through the end opposite said flap; and finally seaming together the margins of said sheets at said filling end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,401,109 Rohdin May 28, 1946 2,409,100 Bradley et al. Oct. 8, 1946 2,562,389 Piazze July 31, 1951 2,645,166 Blizard July 14, 1953 2,653,752 Vogt Sept. 29, 1953 2,758,519 Steen Aug. 14, 1956 2,769,290 Harriman Nov. 6, 1956 2,770,933 Hakomaki et a1 Nov. 20, 1956 

